Sexy Beef Stew

To go along with my third installment of "Diary of a Naughty Dietitian," I'm going to post a stellar, delectable, scrumptious and sexy beef dish.  I call this dish sexy because it is rich and satisfying!  Haha!!

I started with some "stew meat" which is basically chunks of not-so-tender/ultra lean beef.  This comes from cuts like chuck, round, shank, which are from heavily exercised parts of the animal, therefore they are lean and tougher.  Now if you want a nice, tender steak....this is NOT the cut you want, but if you want to slow cook a piece of meat to perfection, this is the perfect cut!!  Here's a simple diagram of beef cuts to give you an idea of where the cuts come from.

Ok, on to the stew.  This is the most amazing stew I've ever made or tasted.  It's truly a treat.

I'm convinced that it's a combination of wine and tomato paste that make it so special.  Check it out.

Sexy Beef Stew

1 pound Stew Meat, cut into 2 inch cubes
1 small can tomato paste
1-14oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup water
1 cup broth (any you have on hand)
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup onion, diced
3 carrots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. Mrs. Dash
1/2 tsp. cracked pepper

1/2 cup barley
1/2 cup frozen peas.
*Optional balsamic vinegar

Combine all ingredients except barley/peas in a large crockpot.  Cook on low for 7-9 hours.  During the last 1-2 hours of cooking, add the barley and peas; continue to cook until barley is tender.  Serve with a splash of balsamic vinegar for a little kick.  Enjoy with a heavy, dry red wine.
 YUM!

Split Pea Soup

Oh how cozy is spending a cold, stormy day with your beloved dog while delicious soup is simmering away?  How cute is this picture below?  I don't know what I would do without my dog.  She always listens, never judges and always wants to hang out with me.  I love her to pieces.  If you've never been in love with a pet, you should really go adopt one today!  They make life easier during hard times and more enjoyable during celebration.  I love my lab :)

But this post isn't about animals, it's about soup.  It's that time of year again and soup should really be on the menu at least once a week.  It really doesn't get much simpler than this recipe.  If you've never tried split pea soup as an adult, give it a second try.  It's amaaaa-zing!

There's a few options for the meat part:

1)  If you'd like to have vegetarian split pea soup, feel free to leave out the bacon and maybe up the spices a bit.

2)  If you happen to have a left over ham hock from Thanksgiving or something, simply simmer that puppy in the soup until the meat is falling off the bone.  The bone adds great flavor to the stock.

3)  If you want the meat, but don't have a ham hock, use 4-5 slices of bacon!  Everything is better with bacon!

Besides the meat (or no meat), you will need:

2 cups of Split Peas

A small onion

A few stalks of celery

A few carrots

1/2 tsp pepper

Salt to taste (you will need little, if any salt if you use a ham hock)

This is SUCH an easy recipe, I love it.  So chop those veggies up...

Add 2 cups split peas, veggies, salt & pepper to your crockpot.  Add in 7 cups of hot water and turn your crock pot on high.
I always add hot, boiling water to crockpot recipes because it speeds up the process a bit.
(If you are using a ham hock, throw everything in the pot and remove the hock after a few hours.  Allow it to cool, strip the meat off, and add it back to soup.)

If you aren't using a ham hock, fry your bacon.  Doesn't it feel indulgent just to fry bacon?

This is the naughty part!  If you want the extra savory flavor from the bacon, pour a couple tablespoons of pan drippings into the soup.  Notice how I didn't call it "grease"?  Hopefully that makes you feel better about adding it! :)

Chop up the bacon and add to the pot. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low 6-8 hours.  It should transform into a thick and luscious soup that will knock your socks off.  How can something so simple be so amazing?  Enjoy.

If you happen to have leftovers, this soup gets extremely thick upon cooling.  Here's a tip for warming this soup up:  Add some water to thick soup, and reheat (nuke or stovetop).  Give a good stir and it's better on day 2!

I had to post this picture twice because it is so priceless.

Cheers.

D